The Last Breath I Take │Hawks x Dabi

Untold truths (edited)

~Hawks pov~

There. He had said it. The huge pressure from hiding the truth for all these years. Gone. Hawks gently shifted his position, and took a few deep breaths to calm himself down. Everything was gonna be fine. It's not like Dabi's gonna know who Touya was, because Touya was gone, right? But something was still wrong. If Touya was really gone, then why were those darn gardenias still there? It could only mean one thing. He was still alive. But where?

Dabi's intense stare made Hawks nervous. What if he said something wrong? Hawks couldn't stand the torture Dabi had made him go through. He was still recovering from the harsh hits he took from the other day. The silence carried on, and Dabi finally managed a croak.

"What did you say?"

Hawks scratched his neck nervously. "Touya? You probably won't know him."

Dabi paused again, and Hawks could see the confusion, frustration and pain in his eyes.

"Keigo?"

That's when the truth dawned on him. Dabi was Touya.

Tears threatened to spill from his eyes. Hawks could feel his heart pounding.

"What are you trying to say, Dabi? This isn't funny." He tried to reach for the villain, but the tall male wouldn't meet his gaze.

"I-" 

Hawks could see Dabi stumble upon his words. Even though he hated to admit it, Dabi actually looked exactly like Touya. Now that Hawks though about it, Touya's eyes were exactly like Dabi's.

"I'm sorry."

Hawks turned away. Even though his best friend, Touya, was right in front of him, he was at a loss of words. Touya had left him to suffer from the hands of the hero public safety commission. He choked back a sob and rushed out of the room.

"You're about 10 years late, Touya."

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Now that he thought about it, Hawks' wings were finally starting to grow back. He uncurled them, wrapping himself in his feathers. Did he respond correctly to that? Was he too harsh on Touya? After all, his dad did abuse him. The one thing that destroyed Hawks was that Touya- no, Dabi was the fact that he didn't look like he was sorry at all. Hawks heard the door creak open and his head shot up. Dabi stepped in.

"What do you want?"

"You're overreacting, Keigo."

Hawks felt his blood boil. "Tell me, Touya. Do you even care?"

Dabi's sudden burst of laughter made Hawks freeze. "Did you really think I cared? Why do you think I left you in the first place?" Hawks felt Dabi's cold fingers grasp his chin. "You've had plenty of chances to escape, but you didn't. Too bad playtime's over now."

Rough hands hauled Hawks off the ground. Dabi shoved him through the doorway. Hawks tripped over a few stairs, and twisted his ankle. He felt nothing. No pain was equal to the wrenching feeling he felt in his heart. It was as if someone had stabbed him, over and over again. Hawks let out a quiet sob. Why was life so hard on him? He tried to make up for his mistakes, but look where that got him. 

He felt Dabi shackle his wrists onto the chair and began tormenting him ruthlessly. A little nick over here, and a scratch over there. It was a never-ending cycle of pain. Hawks gritted his teeth. In his whole life, he had never shown any weakness to anyone. The situation he was in right now was no different. Minutes went by, and Hawks finally found himself drifting into darkness. Please, he begged silently. Please just end me.....

"Why are you so slow?" A voice rang in the air, loud and clear.

Hawks trembled softly. Why was he so weak? Why couldn't be more like Touya? He was just a piece of trash, left to die by his mum and dad. Sometimes Hawks wondered why his parents even brought him into this world. What good would someone as weak and pathetic as him do? Shaking his thoughts away, Hawks tried to fly faster. After 3 more hours of training with the hero public safety commission, he could finally go see Touya. Just thinking about him made Hawks' heart flutter. Someone actually cared about him. He wasn't alone in this world after all.

~3 hours later~

The ground was still wet from the afternoon rain. Hawks stumbled over the park's edge, but kept going. He was finally able to see Touya! Hawks ran and ran, despite his injuries from his training.

"Touya."

"Touya! Where are you?"

Hawks could feel his lip tremble. He'd been searching for his friend for about an hour now, but there was still no sign of Touya. From that day on, he would come there everyday, waiting on the swing, just like when they first met. But Touya never came.

~Dabi's pov~

"Why do you think I left you in the first place?" 

As soon as those words left Dabi's mouth, he felt Hawks stiffen. Dabi froze, surprised by his own words. How could he have said such a thing to his childhood best friend?! Maybe he could apologize, but the look on Hawks' face told him to shut up. Dabi regained his composure. He didn't want to feel this again. The slightest hint of affection made Dabi cocoon himself more into the walls he had built between himself and others. 

If he showed any signs of weakness, no one would want him. That was why Endeavor chose Shoto over himself. Because he was weak. Crying made him feel like he was back to square one, back to being that helpless Touya that everyone hated. He needed to distance himself from Hawks. With bigger things on his mind, Dabi couldn't waste any more time on his long forgotten feelings on Hawks.

"You've had plenty of chances to escape, but you didn't. Too bad playtime's over now." What was he saying? Panicking, Dabi hauled Hawks off the ground, and lead him into the basement.

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Dabi was anxious. Hawks hasn't came out of the basement for days now. Every day, he would put a plate of food outside the door, gently knock, then leave. After a while, he could come back and the food on the plate would be gone. Should he go in? Maybe Hawks just needed some time. A thud made Dabi question that thought. He rushed towards the door, pushing it open. Hawks was lying in the ground, curled up into a ball with his wings stretched out behind him. That's when Dabi realised. Hawks was in the last stage of hanahaki. Was it too late to say that he loved him?